Mug

I'm planning on doing my swap this Friday and had a few questions about opening the headlights. I've read a lot of the DIYs on this site and have had some slightly conflicting instructions and some unanswered questions.

1. I've done a few HID retros and some projector swaps in the past so I've opened up headlights before. I've never needed any additional sealant. Is additional sealant required on the TL or is it just a safety precaution?

2. If I did use the rolled up butyl rubber, it appears that there would be too much. Can someone explain how this type of sealant is used? I've also seen people on here use Ultra Black Hi-temp RTV silicone. Which is better?

3. I have always put the housings back in the oven to reseal them. Has anyone else had their ZKW lenses fog up during the closure bake and leave spots once the condensation dries? I'll probably just use a heat gun for the reseal to avoid this complication.

4. I seen most DIY instructions say NO preheat at 200 for 20 minutes. I've always preheated to 200, put housings in the oven and turned the oven off. Then left the lenses in for 10 to 15 minutes. It seems safer since there is no heat coming from the top or bottom of the oven's heating elements. Anyone tried this method?

5. Can I assume all bulbs and the ballast are removed before baking?

6. I have 3M clear bra over my headlights. Any complications with baking them with that material on them? Do they reduce output and cutoff sharpness?

images

iTrader: (2)

dont use ultra black, just use black, it's worked great for me two times, no leaks or fogging

the reason you dont want ultra black is with a heat rating of 500 degrees if you ever want to open it again it's going to be quite a bit harder than with regular black, which has the same properties just a slightly lower heat temp rating, but it is still more than high enough to withstand the headlight heat and won't be a pain in the ass to reopen if needed

i took the fog and turn signal bulbs out, left everything else as-is

powerflow

I used a heat gun to open mine up. I stretched out the rubber butyl to thin out the strand, cause it would have been way too much.

I strongly recommend replacing the silica packs. There is 2 decent sized ones in each housing.

djbonsu

iTrader: (3)

^^where do you get the silica packs from?